Dispersants Used on BP Spill Contain Chemicals Associated with Cancer: New Report

Image credit: pppsics via Flickr/CC BY Many of us sounded the alarm as soon as we learned of BP's plans to dump huge quantities of the chemical dispersant Corexit into the Gulf in an attempt to break up the oil slick. Experts were concerned, seeing as how the chemical had never been used in such quantities before, nor in such a manner -- until the federal government made them stop, BP was blasting the stuff directly into the source, seeking to disperse the oil before it even reached the surface. Well, now Earth Justice has completed a report on the chemicals that were used in the different blends of dispersant, and it appears that at least some of those fears were well-founded. The New York Times reports (emphasis mine): A review has now been published by Earthjustice, in collaboration with Toxipedia, an online toxicology Wiki, of all the scientific literature concerning t...